Clothes, books, cell phones or furniture: Many Germans buy or sell used goods on the Internet. There are a few things to consider. What are tips and tricks for online trading?
Whether for reasons of sustainability, to save money in times of high inflation or to make some money from discarded items: trading second-hand items is a trend. Last year, according to the Federal Statistical Office, almost a quarter of 25 to 44-year-olds in Germany sold used goods online. Many consumers are also looking for bargains. But what should you pay attention to when trading used goods? And what options are there?
Refurbishing can be worthwhile
“Basically there are two options: on the one hand, the classic platforms such as classified ads, which work like a virtual flea market, and on the other hand, the so-called refurbishment providers,” explains Andrea Steinbach from the Rhineland-Palatinate Consumer Center in an interview with tagesschau.de. When refurbishing, companies such as rebuy, Refurbed, asgoogasnew, BuyZoxs, amazon renewed, Back Market or ebay refurbished buy older products, which they then inspect and repair. They are then resold at a markup. In most cases it involves old devices in the electronics sector, says Steinbach.
“The advantage for sellers is that they don’t have to worry about selling and handling the product themselves.” However, the concept excludes a negotiation through which a higher price could potentially be achieved, says the consumer advocate. “You have to rely on the platform’s estimate, which also takes a commission.” The expert therefore advises “simply scouring the online market in advance and comparing offers for the respective device on other platforms”.
The same applies to consumers who are looking for used items, emphasizes Steinbach. Especially when it comes to high-priced products, you are on the safe side with refurbishment platforms, which are usually backed by reputable companies. Nevertheless, those interested should take a few aspects into account. The consumer advice centers recommend checking the return and guarantee conditions, the different definitions of condition and the quality controls in advance.
Use the “Pay Securely” function
The general rule in online trading is: private individuals should avoid paying in advance and should not use the “Family and Friends” function of service providers such as PayPal in order to be covered by buyer protection. This is particularly important for platforms such as eBay, classifieds or the Vinted clothing market, through which strangers are digitally networked nationwide, says Kathrin Bartsch, telecommunications and internet consultant at the Lower Saxony Consumer Center tagesschau.de. “That’s where the most complaints about rip-offs come from.”
“Platforms where anyone can register and offer products are often a gateway for fraud,” says Steinbach. If trading is completely digital – i.e. the product is sent by post after purchase – you should definitely use the payment method suggested by the company – for example, the “secure payment” function for classified ads.
“With ‘Pay Securely’ you can now safely buy new favorite items that you can’t pick up around the corner,” writes Kleinanzeigen on its website. Afterwards, both the buyer and the seller benefit. The company does not disclose any account details and protects against the risks of direct debit, chargebacks of credit card payments or unjustified complaints if the ad does not fraudulently conceal anything. “Sellers should always advertise authentically, quote a realistic price, remain honest and not hide any signs of wear,” says Steinbach.
Beware of scams
Conversely, buyer protection for the customer prevents his money from being paid out if he does not receive any goods or receives different goods than agreed. To do this, the buyer transfers the amount in an intermediate step to an online payment platform (OPP), where the sum is safely stored, according to the classifieds. The money will only be forwarded to the seller after 14 days or when the addressee confirms receipt of the appropriate item.
“You should always choose the communication channel and payment method that the online marketplace offers,” says consumer advocate Bartsch. This is a prerequisite for a complaint and reimbursement – as well as a defense against real cases of fraud. 90 percent of the time, the scam looks like this: interested parties send money via a payment link like PayPal.me, but in return they don’t receive the desired item, but instead don’t hear anything or receive the wrong goods with a comparable weight.
“Scammers always try to make the other person understand – often with a plausible story as to why they no longer want to communicate via the platform, but rather via WhatsApp, for example.” A link can be sent there quickly without the supposed buyer being shown a security notice. In addition, a purchase contract already exists through a chat history, but this is not finally concluded through external payment transactions, explains Steinbach. Regardless of the outcome of a deal, you should always take a screenshot of advertisements and message flows.
Personal trading safest
If fraud actually occurs, consumers should file a criminal complaint and secure all relevant documents. In addition to “paying securely,” one way to generally protect yourself from such fraud is to limit the search area to a specific region and hand it over personally on site, says Bartsch. “For higher-priced goods, however, I would only do this with witnesses and, if possible, in busy and neutral places.”
Steinbach adds that the item should be checked personally, especially if images are not sufficient for the product description and goods have to be tried out. Otherwise, it’s better to stay away from it. Because: “Buyer protection really only applies if you didn’t receive any goods or received completely different goods,” explains the expert. However, if the product only looks a little different than in the photos or functions are not installed as expected, you are covered by the warranty. The seller can simply exclude this.
In principle, of course, you can never rule out all risks, including Bartsch. “For all portals that deal with used things, you should consider how much money you are willing to forego if you fall for a fraudster.” An example is incorrect contact details, which makes a lawsuit or a reminder pointless. In order to protect yourself from deception online, the consumer advocate also recommends stationary second-hand shops.